Duty Fulfilled
by penpaninuSessh
Summary: Memories of the last life and others before. Nuriko POV after his death.
1. Chapter 1

Duty Fulfilled

This is a Nuriko POV FY ficcie, one that has been in my head over 5 years since I got my Seiryuu boxset and cried my eyes out over his death scene.

Lets just say I've not had a good influence for writing in my life over the last 5 years , so finally my block has been lifted and Nuriko speaks!

Nuriko: you're not me….stop trying to talk in third person.

Whoops , sorry ;; Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: does not own or make money off of writing FY related things.

Penpaninu

We all are born for some purpose in our lives. I am happy to have known my friends and know what my purpose is. Was. I fulfilled mine in the life Suzaku blessed me with his mark. Six other men he allowed to be born at the same time with his mark and achieve his summoning to our land.

Six men…we all knew each other time and again in life's circles as different people, different roles, even different sexes as we crossed paths once, twice, again, knowing it was right, knowing we had to be near. In our culminated roles, Suzaku let his mark shine through characters shimmering on our flesh and let us recognize our roles, and each other.

I drift near my other brothers of the Southern Stars who have passed as I have in this last war to achieve our goal. Tall and gentle Mitsukake, small and wise Chiriko. Those two have always been closer than lovers and once again they stay near each other as we drift in the celestial highways waiting to be reborn. I drift closer to one who I would like to call closer than a lover.

Long brown hair floated over broad shoulders. The regal bearing of a warrior, and the kind face of an emperor. Heika-sama. Hotohori-sama. His spirit was always large and noble, whether as a fisherman or a soldier. In our last life he was given a chance to serve Konan as its ruler and its fourth Emperor.

I drifted to his side silently and he acknowledged me with one of his gentle smiles. We knew each other in other lives past, noteably as two advisors in a distant court far across the desert. I had the female form I flaunted to really possess early in my last life, and he was an earnest young scribe. We would meet behind locked doors in secret to dance in passion's ecstacy. Suzaku's mark appeared in our last life physically but the passion we shared was second only to him.

Together Hotohori and I look down to our remaining brothers who survived the battles and focus on our bandit king. Kou Shunu. Genrou. Tasuki-kun. He and I knew each other as wayward lovers as well, peasants from two neighboring villages meeting every few weeks to fulfill our needs around the village's bartering time. Brash Tasuki could be so shy where it counted, nevertheless he was earnest and ready for anything life gave him, and Suzaku's mark shone in our actions and passion.

Our camaraderie in my last life was not faked. We got along so well because we _had_ gotten along so well. We had known each other intimately so our souls knew to be close friends.

All of us waiting there by Suzaku's side in the skies could not look to the distant lands surrounding our worlds, so we could not see our priestess. But oh how she remained in our hearts and thoughts.

Yuki Miaka, our Suzaku no Miko, the woman from another Land Suzaku charged himself with receiving his love and gathering his Stars.

I saw Miaka not only as my celestial task but as a woman I loved and whose depth overran my obligation to protect her. Who am I kidding, obligation? I would be glad to step in front of her and take the duty to see her safe. I did so and would do so again and again.

I would die for her and have died for her. I died without pursuing her as a man would but did die knowing she loved me because she was Miaka and her heart was filled for all of us, priestess' role be damned. Miaka was Miaka.

And I was happy to die fulfilling my duty to love her.

Chiriko giggled and pointed to Hotohori's palace and we all looked there. In this limbo were our souls sit near Taitsukun's Mountain and Suzaku's shoulder, we watch down to see his son being born. His empress, mou, she looks like me.

"Hotohori, you chose her because you had something to say to me?" I tease my old emperor with an affectionate nudge to the shoulder. Hotohori chuckles warmly and puts up with it.

"Ah, perhaps so, Nuriko. You and Houki are similar in many regards."

I laugh, remembering our secret passion another lifetime ago.

"Anou, sa, you do remember!"

The baby below wailed in the midwife's arms and Hotohori-sama's eyes crinkled in relief as he watched his empress' weak smile.

"One can remember all as we wait here to be reborn," he said.

"Ah perhaps so….ne, Hotohori-sama."

"What is it?"

There I gestured to the boy infant wrapped in my harem sisters' arms.

"What do you think of your child?" Even if it wasn't my baby, my heart overflowed with love for a son of Hotohori-sama's.

Hotohori's smile was warm and wide. "Konan will be honored to let him serve her." He vowed and behind us Suzaku's warm laughter filled the heavens.

The End…..until reincarnation

This is obviously after the big death scene, and Nuriko's hanging out in the heavens with his other fellow warriors and Suzaku.

What do you think? Did you like it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? I know my writing itself needs work, but what do you think of subject matter? Again, a story that has been in my head for over 5 years and needed to be out, like this morning. Unfortunately I had the ending word for word walking to work! I ran inside and grabbed some paper and tried to commit each word down so I could write it later at home.

My first Fushigi Yuugi fic ever, and my first fanfic in over 5 or 6 years. Nuriko has always had a special place in my heart and so do his wishes. I think he approves of the short thing you just read!

Anyway, all the talk about passion and love and that other crap

Nuriko: hey!

Was in reference to the notes Keisuke made about Suzaku being a god of fire and love, quite literally. I wasn't trying to be mushy, Keisuke did the homework, not me:P

Email at to tell me what you think! Or I may not write again!

8/14/05


	2. Memories of a Celestial Shade

This second musing in the mind of Nuriko came about after just a simple thought that I had to write down. So I had to add onto the first fanfiction I had written in five years, posted last summer.

Disclaimer: Penpaninu does not claim to own Fushigi Yuugi nor the character of Nuriko, Miaka or mentions of other FY people. They belong to Watase Yu and not to me.

"Duty Fulfilled" chapter two

Memories of a Celestial Shade

They thought I was gay. Everybody did. My slender arms and hands, the delicate way I carried myself like a courtesan, the way I even talked and grew my hair past my shoulders. It's funny how the world will label you something you just wind up not being.

When I noticed HER, I felt all of my masculinity, wrapped in silk and perfume, come back to existence. I wanted her, I wanted to protect her like a soldier protected a woman, and I wanted to keep her safe in my arms. How could one bubbly happy and beautiful woman turn me so? I was so certain I must be gay, that I would be happy in the arms of a much stronger man. Maybe I can still be this way.

But when I am near her, I can't be anything but a man. She inspires me to be so. After I started dressing like my sex proclaimed, and I became her friend, I became more of myself, I was certain. Her eyes, they were so sad when I cut my braid off. In essence one could say I cut off an avatar of my manhood, but I didn't see it that way. I was blessed with a woman's heart, so I knew I could still be strong without a warrior's braid.

I remember well the last night I had been alive, drinking in the inn's tavern with Tamahome. The poor kid who I called my younger brother in jest was angsting as usual over his rocky relationship with our Suzaku no Miko. Poor Miaka could only wallow in the mistakes he committed unconsciously while trying to be true to her and our celestial god. So I took my so-called celestial brother in arms to have a drink and talk some confidence and sense into him.

How Tamahome had choked on the special concoction I had made up. Apparently a 'Nuriko special' didn't agree with him, for Tamahome had not the constitution to handle the strong drink as I did. He could strike the strong general Nakago a blow to the face, but he could not handle heavy alcohol. I found this amusing, but talk to my confused celestial brother I did.

I confessed casually my feelings toward Miaka and Tamahome took it well. I said I would not steal her, and I never did, however made known my love for her I did. I was content that Tamahome knew the truth, and that when I departed from him and Miaka the next morning, I knew that she herself knew. For she looked extra worried that I stay safe until we all joined up at the mountain's top.

That sad look in her eyes and her bright smile was in my mind as I fought the wild Seiryu seishi Ashitare. Even as he had his claws in me, shredding my chest open, I thought of Miaka, and her shy smile. And I wanted to be the man in her life, oh how I wanted her in those last moments in my life.

The other woman I longed for greeted me as I died from my wounds. My sister, Kourin, how long it had been. I had been a young man for my sister's protection, and once again I was a man for a woman I loved.

Yuki Miaka, I long to watch over you still. But Suzaku says it's almost time to be reborn. I falter, my shade wandering over Suzaku's broad shoulder, worried and fearful of what was to come. Hotohori drifted close and touched my shoulder with an ethereal hand. And I knew he would be sent close to me, so I would not be alone. I smile and close my eyes, entering a woman's womb. I am tiny and hunched over my knees, surrounded by my mother's nurturing waters. I feel the memories of my last life and the others before drift away softly, and I ready for my new life with an open mind.

It would be when I met up with the others who shared a common quest that my old memories would trigger and I would remember. Remember who? I'm not quite sure now… For now, I am warm and protected within my new mother. The memories fade, and I concentrate on my food intake through the cord in my middle. I had a new beginning.

End for now

Like it, hate it? Send a review.

Most sincerely yours penpaninu

4/16/06


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